The month of June includes the international day of the fight against drug abuse and illicit drug trafficking established in 1988 on the initiative of the General Assembly of the United Nations and this year has the theme "Development for our lives" for our communities, for our identities, without drugs.

According to data from the information system Epidemiological of the Consumption of Drugs (SIECD) of Juvenile Integration Centers (CIJ), during the second half of 2014, marijuana became the drug of greater consumption in the country among patients treated for the first time. In 20 States, cannabis surpassed even alcohol, which 25 entities registered as the second drug of choice, displacing tobacco.

It is noteworthy that at the national level, cannabis use was 70.3 per cent in 2008 and rose to 87.4 per cent in 2014, a 17 percent increase in just six years. During the second half of 2014, marijuana was the drug of greater impact - more problems were caused with the patient and surroundings which led to seeking treatment - among patients of CIJ (46.4%), followed by alcohol (13.2%) and methamphetamines (8.5%). Methamphetamine use shows an increase of seven per cent between 2010 and 2014.

Another relevant fact is the increase in the consumption of heroin in Colima, Guerrero, Morelos, Oaxaca and Puebla; While in Chihuahua and Baja California - entities that previously concentrated the highest rates of consumption - this continues well above the national average.

Against this background, it is appropriate to recall that the active substance in marijuana, delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol, affects memory, learning, and care; There is risk of psychosis, especially if consumed at an early age and there is vulnerability in the subject; causes anxiety, depression, suicidal thinking and acts suicidal; generates damage in the respiratory system, risk of hypertension, cancer and decrease in the ability of the immune system. In pregnancy it produces alterations and below normal weights at birth.

Due to the effects that are caused in the body's motor coordination, its consumption is associated with traffic and work accidents; It also links with labor, and school drop-out since it is a risk factor for the development of the amotivational syndrome, a condition characterized by apathy and lack of concentration.

Based on public health principles and the experience accumulated during 46 years, CIJ offers a treatment, based on scientific evidence, of people consuming drugs. In 2014, the national network of CIJ, composed of 116 units, provided therapeutic care for around 100 thousand people as well as services to 9.4 million.

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